He said: Very dark purple with a light purple rim. Quite nice cherry and dark fruit aromas. Intense dark fruit and mouth puckering dry taste. Long tart fruit finish with a slight bitterness at the very end. This was absolutely delicious with the pork, but just a bit rough around the edges. I would rate it a good Spanish red.

She said: Nice nose, followed by a fruity, full bodied taste that lasted through the long finish. Dry, acidic and with hardly noticeable tannins. It was delicious with the pork. The wine was good but did not knock my socks off mainly because it lacked nuances of flavor. Since this was purchased on board the Queen Mary 2 at a restaurant mark-up I can’t comment on its price to quality value.

Comments: We couldn’t have been any luckier. Our Sommelier at dinner was Alexander who we met on a previous Cunard cruise and liked very much. He is knowledgeable, very willing to help us with wine selections and knows about all the wines available in the ships cellar. We told him a little bit about our wine tastes and budget; what we had selected for dinner and than asked him for his recommendation.We were not disappointed and look forward to many more wonderful pairings.

And for a little bit of non-wine information: We left New York City under an overcast sky and snow that practically eliminated all visibility. As we left the Brooklyn pier and sailed out into the lower Hudson we could barely see the Statue of Liberty fading into the distance. And the weather didn’t improve…when we woke the next morning and went out on deck it was in the mid 60’s but with rain, “extreme” gale force winds and “very” rough seas but the mighty Queen Mary trudged on toward South Hampton. You can also follow our travels on www.worldcruiseportsblog.com